'Remarkable' Alyssa Thomas' historic triple-double keeps Sun alive vs. Las Vegas

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — With their backs against the wall (again) in the WNBA playoffs, the Connecticut Sun found another gear. Leading the way was the player they call «the Machine,» Alyssa Thomas.

She had the first triple-double in WNBA Finals history Thursday as the Sun beat the Las Vegas Aces 105-76 in Game 3 of the best-of-five series after losing the first two games out on the famed Strip. If anyone thought the Sun would roll over for an Aces sweep… well, no one who follows the WNBA thought that. It's just not the Sun's personality.

They lost a close Game 1 on Sunday and a not-so-close Game 2 on Tuesday at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. But back home at Mohegan Sun Arena in front of their fans, the Sun summoned the mojo they needed to force Game 4, which will be this Sunday here in Connecticut (4 p.m. ET, ESPN).

«If you could encapsulate Connecticut, it's physical and very resilient,» Aces coach Becky Hammon said of the Sun. «They have kind of a battle-type mentality, and we didn't match that tonight, in any category. They just kicked our ass in every way possible.»

Of Thomas, who finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, Hammon said, «She's a beast. I went to a UFC fight the other night; I would not want to get in the cage with her. She is just tough. Tough, tough, tough. And then a playmaker.»

The 6-foot-2 Thomas, 30, was the No. 4 pick in the 2014 WNBA draft out of Maryland, which she led to the women's Final Four her senior year.

Thomas is a difficult — if not impossible — player to compare to anyone else in the WNBA. Her longtime shoulder injuries (torn labrums in both that have not been surgically repaired) keep her from having an actual jump shot, but that doesn't matter. Thomas has figured out